


Future's Folly

by DrawnToDarkness



Category: Primeval
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Matter of Life and Death, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 17:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3863914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrawnToDarkness/pseuds/DrawnToDarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A face from the past brings with it a deadly virus from the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future's Folly

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies if there's any dodgy formatting! Hope you enjoy x

 

By all accounts, it started as a perfectly normal day. She got to the ARC early as was her routine, waved a hello at Lester as he sat behind his desk talking on the phone and made herself a cup of coffee before taking her seat at the ADD. Minutes later, Becker arrived in the hub to collect the nightly security report to check there was nothing he needed to deal with from the nightshift and they spent a few minutes bantering back and forth – definitely _not_ flirting, no matter what the others said – before he left for his office to officially begin his day.

Mornings, particularly quiet ones, were amongst Jess's favourite times at the ARC. She liked having a moment of calm in an otherwise hectic work week, enjoyed the opportunity to just catch up on the everyday tasks that tended to get forgotten about in the aftermath of an anomaly.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind did the ADD alarm start to go off. As the lights flashed and bathed her in a red glow, Jess's fingers moved over the keyboards in front of her, zeroing in on the anomaly and sending the coordinates through to the black boxes that were soon being deftly distributed to the other members of the team by the black clad Captain, who seemed to materialise out of thin air to stand beside her.

Bringing up the nearest CCTV feeds, she was able to secure a visual on the anomaly, keeping it on screen as she started to work in one of the other screens so she could help the departing team navigate London traffic and hopefully get to the site before anything could come through.

The rush of adrenaline that always came with an anomaly alert was nothing new but she accepted the boost, using it to keep her wits about her and her responses sharp. Still, when the anomaly fluctuated and admitted not a creature as she'd been expecting but two people – one of which she knew she shouldn't be seeing – she found herself faltering for a split second.

_"Any sign of an incursion, Jess?"_

"No. Um. Not exactly." She swallowed her surprise, zooming in on the impossible image. She knew she had to warn them, had to give them a head's up, but the words got caught in her throat and it took her two attempts. "It's Danny. Ah, Danny Quinn. He has... He has Doctor Page with him."

There was a stunned silence from the others, followed by sounds of disbelief and mutterings that she must be mistaken.

"There's no mistake." It was Lester who confirmed it, his voice as surprised as Jess felt. He moved to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder at the screen. "It's Doctor Page alright."

As the two people at the ADD watched, Danny turned to Sarah and touched her cheek. His lips moved but the camera feed was too grainy to make out what he said. He took a step backwards, away from the archaeologist and towards the anomaly. Sarah reached out for him, her hand latching onto his. Danny gave her a small smile and moved closer again, close enough to brush his lips against her forehead, before he broke contact with her and jogged back through the anomaly, which closed seconds later.

"Danny's gone," Jess informed the team, her voice quiet. "So has the anomaly."

"Doctor Page is still there," Lester added before anyone could ask. "She appears to be... waiting."

_"Then we best not keep her waiting for long."_ It was Emily who spoke, apparently the first of the team to recover her voice. _"Jess? You were saying something about road works...?"_

"Yes. Of course. Sorry." Her cheeks pale rather than flushed as Lester had expected, Jess swallowed reflexively before tearing her gaze away from the pretty dark haired woman on screen to check the data she'd pulled up before Danny and Sarah had appeared. "You'll want to take the next left instead of going straight ahead, Matt. It's not an official detour but it means you'll miss most of the traffic..."

She held herself together, gave them concise directions on how to find the former anomaly site, and watched on the CCTV feeds pulled up. She watched, wrapping her arms around her middle, as Doctor Page's former teammates approached her, cautiously at first, before the three of them wrapped her in an embrace with Sarah at its centre.

Beside her, Lester finally understood the reason for Jess's subdued reaction, his hand lingering on her shoulder for an awkward but oddly comforting moment.

"I'll make arrangements for guest quarters to be prepared," Jess said quietly to her boss, excusing herself from her station.

Believing the risk of danger to be over, Lester agreed silently and let her go.

***

Her story didn't change, no matter how many times she was questioned or by whom. She could recall everything they knew to be true up until the final rescue attempt in the future, the one in which she had lost her life.

Only she hadn't, apparently. Not according to Sarah. Instead of dying as a result of the predator's attack, Danny had appeared as if from nowhere and had saved her. She'd lost a lot of blood, enough to convince them that there was no way she could have survived, but Danny had refused to give up and had taken her through another anomaly – one that had let to a future point in time before the world had been destroyed, where the medical technology they possessed had been enough to save her life.

For them, three years had passed since she'd supposedly died. For Sarah, she'd only been gone for three months.

"Jess is already working on a cover story," Lester informed the team after they gathered in his office for a briefing, offering a reason for why the Field Co-ordinator wasn't with them. "She said something about a witness protection programme. Sounds a bit MI-6 to me but she said she'd take care of it."

"She'll find a way to make it work." Matt had every confidence in Jess's ability to weave a convincing story and restore Sarah's identity; she'd worked magic as far as he was concerned in creating a history for Emily and filling in the gaps of his own cover story when she'd been told the truth. "Have her family been informed?"

"Not yet. Doctor Page has requested some time to get used to the idea that she's been gone for so long." Lester sympathised with her but didn't let it show. "For now, she will remain at the ARC with limited visitors. At her request," he added when he saw Abby frown and open her mouth to protest. "We don't want to overwhelm her any more than she already is."

"Has she explained where Danny went? Or why?" Emily addressed her question to Matt and Becker, both of whom had taken part in Sarah's initial questioning. "It hasn't got anything to do with Ethan, has it?"

Matt's smile was reassuring even if the look in his eyes was grim. "Ethan – Patrick – died before Danny went back for Sarah. She said he wouldn't go into details but told her that his brother was dead."

"As for where Danny went, she's not entirely sure." Becker's frown had been an almost constant feature since they'd arrived back at the ARC and Sarah had been taken into custody by a security team. "He just told her he had to take care of something but that he'd find his way back when it was done. Whatever _it_ is."

"At least we know he's planning to come back, yeah?" Connor's grin was hopeful. "We'll have the team back together again. Just like old times."

"Just like old times," Abby repeated with a smile. Neither she nor her fiancé noticed that Jess had walked into the office for the tail-end of their conversation so both missed the downcast expression on the Field Co-ordinators face before she could school her features into a neutral expression. Emily and Matt noticed, though, as did Lester.

Becker, to Jess's relief, seemed oblivious.

Clearing her throat to announce her presence, Jess fidgeted with her watch strap. "I've updated the necessary files, and created the records for the home office database. Everything should be in place within the next twenty four hours."

"Good work, Jess." Lester's nod was short but his eyes showed his approval. "Have her quarters been prepared?"

"They're ready for her, and I've already had her moved from the holding cell." Jess focused on her boss, deciding it would be easier than looking at anyone else. "I thought the sooner she was in more comfortable surroundings, the better. I've put a request in for Doctor Alderson to arrange to see her first thing in the morning for the full medical you requested."

"Good. Let's get the formalities over with and we can deal with everything else afterwards." Lester didn't have time to ask her if there was anything else; Jess gave him a quick nod to show she'd take care of it and turned on her heel, hurriedly leaving the room. Lester stared after her for a moment, before clearing his throat and continuing. "In the meantime, it's business as usual, people. When Quinn deems it fit to return, we'll have a discussion about their possible roles at the ARC in the future."

"Possible roles?" Abby sat forward in her chair, her expression confused. "Of course they're going to have jobs here. It's Sarah – and Danny."

Lester looked at her for a moment, his expression neutral. "It still remains to be seen whether they'll want to stay, Abby. We're not going to force them."

"Well, no." At his words, Abby relaxed a little. "But she'll want to stay," she added confidently, a smile on her lips. "They both will."

Matt and Emily exchanged a look, no doubt sharing the same thought Lester himself had. Were two more people on the team really necessary and, if not, what would happen to those already there?

***

It was unkind of her to be jealous. That was what Jess kept telling herself. Sarah had been through a traumatic experience – was still going through one, in fact, since everyone she loved believed she'd been dead for two years – and needed support and sympathy.

Squaring her shoulders, Jess repeated the thought to herself as she met her gaze in the mirror of the ladies bathroom.

She'd already taken care of the cover story that would allow the doctor to be reintegrated into society – it was something she was beginning to have a lot of experience with, creating identities and manipulating official data, though it wasn't a skill she would ever be able to advertise on her CV. She'd arranged for the guest quarters to be spruced up and made as comfortable as possible, just as she'd done when it looked like Emily would be staying there for a while.

In her lunch break, she'd left the ARC and gone shopping to get Sarah some fresh clothes and essential toiletries, all of which were still neatly packed in a bag by Jess's desk as when she'd arrived, Sarah and Abby had been engrossed in animated conversation with Becker and Connor as an amused audience and she hadn't wanted to intrude.

The four looked right together, Jess thought to herself as she made her way from the ladies room back to the hub. They looked comfortable, like old friends should.

Just as she should be pleased for them; ecstatic in fact. And she was, for the most part. For their sake, she was thrilled that their lost friend had suddenly been returned to them. For Becker's sake in particular, she was glad it was one of his many demons he could finally lay to rest –how could he blame himself for Sarah's death when she hadn't died at all?

But there was still a small part of her, a teeny tiny part she hated, that was upset by it all. Jealous, even. She remembered Abby's words, one alcohol-fuelled girl's night many, many months ago, and they made her heart ache: _"Just give him time, Jess,"_ Abby had said, her words a little slurred, _"Becker likes you._ Really _likes you. But I think the closest he came to liking someone before was Sarah, even though I think she liked Danny. But whatever happened between them after we were gone... You've gotta give him time to get over that."_

The conversation had gone off on a little tangent from then, with Abby explaining to Emily and Jess how lovely Sarah had been, how pretty and smart and brave. Both Jess and Emily had comforted the blond when she'd gotten upset, saying how they wished they could've met her, too.

And now they could.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself before she walked into the hub, Jess reminded herself that that was true. She might be losing Becker – or, really, any chance of something happening with Becker, since he wasn't actually hers to lose – but she would be hopefully gaining a good friend, too.

And that was a good thing.

A positive thing.

She just wished it didn't hurt so much.

***

At the knock on her door, Sarah looked up. "Come in," she called out, wondering who her latest visitor would be.

She'd spent a few hours chatting with Abby, Connor and Becker – mostly Abby and Connor – about what she'd missed while she'd been away, hearing about Abby and Connor's time in the Cretaceous and Danny's brief return to the present before he'd ventured into the past after his brother – and to the future after her. She'd smiled when she'd been told about Jenny's wedding, somehow unsurprised that even that occasion hadn't been anomaly free, and she'd watched with interest as they spoke about the new additions to the ARC team.

While Abby had done most of the talking, with the occasion interjection from Connor, it was Becker's reaction that intrigued her the most when it came to them telling her about the young woman who'd introduced herself as the Field Co-ordinator. Somehow, Sarah wasn't at all surprised that Jess had taken in Abby and Connor when they'd been in need of a home following their sudden return to the present. And when they'd been telling her about Jenny's wedding and mentioned that Becker hadn't been there as he and Jess had been dealing with a situation Danny's brother had left for them, Sarah had noticed the subtle stiffening of the soldier's shoulders and jaw. He hadn't been willing to be drawn into conversation on exactly what had happened but Sarah was determined to find out.

And if he wasn't willing to tell her…

"Oh, hello." As if summoned by her thoughts, Jess Parker walked in after opening the door. Her gaze wandered around the room as though she expected to find someone else there, surprise momentarily arranging her features when she realised Sarah was alone. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I just thought… I nipped out to the shops at lunch time, got you a few things I thought you might need. And some clothes and things, I guessed your size but if they don't fit or you don't like them, I kept the receipts so we can take them back or…"

"Thank you," Sarah broke in, hoping the genuine warmth in her smile off-set any rudeness at the interruption. She stood when Jess set down the bag of belongings and immediately turned to leave. "Jess? It is Jess, isn't it? I've heard so many names this morning, I'm struggling to keep track."

It was a lie, but one that got Jess's attention and made the younger woman turn around. "Yes, it's Jess. And don't worry about it. I'll pretty much answer to anything."

"Would you mind staying for a little while?" Sarah tilted her head to the side and fixed what she hoped was an endearing smile on her face. "It feels a little odd, being in a strange place on my own."

"It will do at first," Jess's smile was full of sympathy. "You'll settle in soon. And everyone's really nice and lovely. Of course, you know the old team so you know that, but everyone else is lovely, too."

"They seem it," Sarah answered honestly, though she'd actually only met Jess out of the new staff at the ARC. Well, she'd met Emily and Matt briefly, too, but they hadn't said much in the car on the way back to the ARC and she hadn't seen them since. "It's a lot bigger than it used to be. And it seems a lot more organised."

Jess nodded her agreement, moving to sit down when Sarah motioned for her to do so. "We had quite a lot of private funding when the ARC was re-established. Philip Burton was a co-Director along with Lester for a while but, well, I'm sure you'll find out about that if you haven't already. We still get a surprising amount of income from private ventures but not as much as we used to. After the events of the convergence, though, the government funding has gone up so it balances out."

"Convergence – that was when there were multiple anomalies across the world, wasn't it?" Sarah frowned. "Abby mentioned a little bit about it but I got the impression it was still something of a sore subject for Connor."

"It would be." Jess bit her lip, sympathy shining in her eyes. "For all of us, really. It wasn't a nice experience and certainly not one I'd like to repeat but for Connor… Abby will probably tell you about New Dawn later, when Connor's not around, but it was a difficult time for him. For everyone, but Connor had a closer working relationship with Philip than the rest of us. It was through his work with Philip that he was able to create a prototype for the anomaly opening device, not that we'll probably ever use it again but it was an amazing piece of technology. Just one that went a bit… wrong."

Remembering the way the others had been a little cagey – Connor had looked guilty, Becker a curious combination of angry and pained - when she'd asked about the device Abby had mentioned, Sarah saw her chance. "What happened with the device? I know something went wrong but they wouldn't tell me what exactly. I know Becker was involved in some way. Connor looked quite guilty and gave him an apologetic look when it was mentioned."

"Becker?" Jess arched an eyebrow. The young woman's cheeks flushed a little at the mention of the Captain, which made Sarah have to school her own features to keep back a smile. "He wasn't really involved… Well, he was. We all were. But I don't know why Connor would look apologetically at Becker over anyone else. If anything…"

"If anything what?" Sarah prompted after a few moments of silence.

Shaken from her thoughts, Jess shook her head and smiled again, though it seemed a little forced to Sarah. "There was an incident at the ARC with the prototype, before the New Dawn fiasco. An anomaly opened and one of Philip's security guards died in the incursion that followed. It was controlled, though. We all survived."

There was something in the softening of her voice that told Sarah it hadn't been as simple as Jess wanted her to believe but, understanding better than anyone how difficult it was to talk about the bad times of the past, Sarah let the subject drop.

"So tell me about yourself," Sarah encouraged with a friendly smile after a short lull in conversation. "Connor said you're brilliant, and Abby told me you're amazing and that the three of you lived together for a while after they got back. That was really sweet of you, and it obviously meant a lot to them. So how did you end up here at the ARC?"

"There's not much to tell, to be honest." But still, Jess's cheeks flushed at the praise from her teammates. "I was approached by someone from the Home Office about applying for the job so I did. Bit of a strange interview, to be honest. Though you never really expect to be shown footage of dinosaurs in the House of Commons, do you?"

Sarah gaped at her. "Dinosaurs in the House of Commons?" A laugh bubbled up before she could stop it. "I shouldn't laugh," she admitted with a chuckle, "but I'd quite like to see that."

Jess grinned conspiratorially. "If you think that's good, you should see the footage of Matt and Becker dealing with the Iguanodon that came through the beauty school anomaly."

Sarah laughed again; she couldn't help it. She laughed even more when Jess cheerfully regaled her with the tale, promising to dig the footage out of the archives to show it to her later. They talked about a lot of things, with Jess filling in the gaps Abby and Connor had been unable to about what had happened in their absence and giving Sarah more details on what the team had been up against since they'd all been back together.

After almost an hour of talking – most of which had been spent giggling like school girls – Sarah felt she was able to broach the subject she'd been wondering about most.

"So you've mentioned everyone else. What about Becker?" Sarah studied the younger woman carefully, noting the way Jess's smile dropped. "I was surprised when Danny said he was still here. I remember how different he was on that last rescue attempt. I would've put money on him having left by now."

"He did. Well, the old ARC was shut down while the investigation into what happened to you and the others took place." Jess's smile returned but it was strained. "When it reopened, Lester insisted on Becker coming back. He didn't want to, not at first. And he really didn't like Matt in the beginning, either. After what happened to you, he refused to let anyone go through an anomaly. He was... very different, I think, to the Becker you'll have known."

"But he's started to forgive himself?" Sarah asked quietly. "Nothing that happened was ever his fault."

Jess laughed humourlessly. "Maybe you could try telling him that now you're back," she suggested wryly. "Though I suppose now you're back, and once Danny comes home, he'll have nothing to feel guilty about. You'll all be together again."

"It'll be good to have everyone in one place again," Sarah smiled, adding a silent wish that it wouldn't be too long before Danny found his way home. "Abby and Connor told me Jenny got married last year."

"Oh, yes." If she was surprised by the change in subject, Jess didn't show it. "It was a lovely ceremony – when it eventually happened, of course. I suppose they told you about the uninvited guests?"

"Yes." Sarah shook her head. "Somehow, it doesn't surprise me."

"We should let her know you're alive," Jess suggested after a moment, her eyes lighting up. "You were friends, weren't you? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know you're okay."

"Soon," Sarah agreed quietly, wondering not for the first time how those she'd left behind would react to suddenly having her back in their lives. "So you were able to watch the ceremony but you weren't actually there, were you? Abby and Connor said something about you and Becker being left to deal with something to do with Danny's brother?"

"Ethan. Or Patrick. I never know what to call him," Jess admitted with a shrug. "He'd realised we were onto him and left a little present for Becker to find when we were staking out the flat. Well, Becker was on the stakeout. I... really shouldn't have been there."

"But you were, so you can tell me what happened." Sarah wasn't above adding an imploring expression to her request. "Please, Jess. I know _something_ happened but Becker wouldn't tell me what."

Jess hesitated, biting her lip. Sarah could see the debate warring inside her, not wanting to be rude by denying Sarah's request but not wanting to go against what Becker had obviously wanted in keeping the story to himself. In the end, it was the pleading expression Sarah wore that won out – and the promise that Becker never needed to know they'd discussed it.

"There was a bomb in the flat," Jess said after a while. "Ethan – Patrick – must've seen us in the car park. Becker saw him on the camera he'd set up to monitor the flat. He woke me up –"

"Woke you up?" Sarah repeated, eyebrows rising. "You'd fallen asleep?"

The younger woman blushed but a small smile played on her lips. "I hadn't meant to stay for long. I'd brought Becker dinner – Chinese. I knew he'd skipped lunch so..." She broke off with a shrug. "I must've fallen asleep at some point."

"And he didn't wake you up?" Sarah hid a smile as the blush staining Jess's cheeks deepened. "Did you fall asleep on your side of the car or..?" The way Jess bit her lip answered the question and Sarah grinned. "You fell asleep on his shoulder and he just let you? Until you were interrupted? That's so sweet!"

"He was being polite," Jess protested hurriedly, an almost worried expression Sarah didn't understand arranging her features. "It wasn't... There wasn't anything in it. Anyway," she continued on before Sarah could argue. "Becker went inside and told me to call back-up, which I did. Only they got caught in traffic and Becker didn't come back so I went in after him. He'd disturbed a trip wire, started the countdown. When I went in, Becker had me take the sheet off the bomb and we realised how dangerous it was. Well, he did. He told me to leave..."

"And you didn't, I'm guessing," Sarah prodded when Jess's voice trailed off, the younger woman lost in memories of the past.

"No." Jess bit her lip again, her gaze fixed on the door rather than her companion. "I couldn't." She shrugged her shoulders, and then let them slump. "Becker talked me through disarming it. We got lucky, to be honest. There were two red wires so in the end I just took a guess and fortunately, it was the right one or neither of us would be here. He probably didn't want to tell you because he blames himself for that, too. As if he could've known Ethan had left a trap." She rolled her eyes. "He always tries to take responsibility for things he has no control over."

Agreeing silently, having seen it begin before that last fateful rescue attempt, Sarah sat in silence beside the troubled Field Co-ordinator for a few moments before her curiosity became too much for her. "So, are you and Becker...?"

Jess's eyes widened instantly. Her cheeks grew pink but the rest of her face paled. She glanced at Sarah almost warily before her gaze darted away. "There's nothing between us. Nothing like _that._ Really. I mean, he's... And now..." She waved a hand dismissively. "Well, it wouldn't matter even if…" Jess cut herself off, squaring her shoulders. She gave Sarah what was clearly a forced smile. "He's a friend, and someone who deserves to be happy even if he doesn't think he does so I'm really glad you're back."

" _Me_?" Sarah's eyes widened and she stared at Jess in surprise. "Oh, it's not…"

The sound of the klaxons of the ADD going off interrupted her. Jess was up like a shot, her hand rising to her ear to activate her comm piece as she raced from the room with an apologetic wave of her hand.

Sarah sat alone in her room, staring after her in stunned silence.

***

The anomaly disappeared within minutes but a team was still dispatched to the coordinates to make sure there was no incursion. As it had opened in a wooded area, Jess had been unable to get a visual on it but was monitoring local news sources and the emergency services for any sightings.

Matt walked around the anomaly site, with Emily at his side, as they searched for any trace of abnormal activity. "It looks clear here, Jess." He reported after a short time. Still, his eyes narrowed as he stopped in the middle of a small clearing, the skin at the back of his neck tingling as though they were being watched.

"Matt?" Emily gave him a concerned look. "Is everything okay?"

The team leader was silent for a few moments, scanning their surroundings with a frown on his face. "Fine," he said eventually, giving her a reassuring grin when she appeared unconvinced. "Just my imagination playing tricks on me."

Emily frowned and turned her attention to the woodland around them. "I see no reason to be alarmed. There are no unusual tracks, no signs that the ground has been disturbed."

"Only by people," Matt agreed. "Probably dog walkers in this area."

As if on cue, a dog began barking in the distance.

"We will return to the ARC now, Jess," Emily reported. She smiled at the relief in Jess's voice when the Field Co-ordinator promised she'd have a cup of tea waiting for them and signed off the comms, turning off the mic in her ear piece and motioning for Matt to do the same.

It was just the two of them on the site. Becker had remained at the ARC on stand-by in case of an incursion or a second anomaly, Connor had been working on a project in his lab and Abby had asked for and been given permission to show Sarah the new and improved menagerie. Emily was glad for the chance to be able to talk to Matt without the others around.

"What do you think will happen when Danny returns?" She asked, getting straight to the point as soon as he disengaged his mic. "Will there still be a place for us on the team?"

Matt took his time in answering, shrugging as he fought the urge to put his hands in his pockets. "I don't know," he said eventually, honestly. "It all depends on whether Danny wants to stay at the ARC. He might not want to," he pointed out, "two plus years living in the wrong time and place might've made him want to cut all ties with the ARC. Can't say I'd blame him for it, either."

"Would you?" Her question was genuinely curious. Emily glanced at him as they began walking slowly towards the trucks. "The future has been saved, Matt. You're still here. I'm still here. If you wanted…"

"We could walk away?" Matt finished for her, an eyebrow lifting as he gave her a gentle but knowing smile. "Neither of us could do that, Em. This is what we were born for."

"I can't imagine leaving," Emily admitted after a short pause. "But if things change, we may not have a choice. There is a saying, isn't there? 'Last in, first out'?"

Surprised that she'd heard of it, he gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "Where did you hear that?"

"I may have overheard a conversation between some staff in the cafeteria at lunch time," the Victorian woman answered with a shrug. "They were referring to one of their husband's employers. I thought it may be apt for us, too."

Stopping, Matt turned to face her, his blue eyes dark with concern. "They're not going to make us leave, Emily. Lester wouldn't do that. If for no other reason than they'd have no idea what to do with us," he added with only a hint of irony. "Even if Danny and Sarah chose to stay at the ARC, there's enough work for all of us. As for the team leader position…" Matt shrugged and started walking again. "If he wants it, it's his. I could always spend more time in my lab."

"Working with your plants," Emily added fondly.

They lapsed into silence, making the rest of the journey to the truck without speaking.

Once settled inside the vehicle, Emily looked at Matt, concern written clearly on her face. "Do you think Jess will stay?"

Matt looked uncertain for a moment before his expression cleared and he gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course she will. It's not like either Danny or Sarah could do her job." Reaching across the gear stick, he took Emily's hand in his. "Jess isn't going anywhere," he told her, promising himself he'd make sure it was true.

Emily smiled at him and squeezed his hand but didn't reply. They made their way back to the ARC, each lost in their own thoughts and worries for the future.

***

Sarah wasn't surprised when the knock on the door revealed Becker as her latest visitor. She smiled in welcome, stepping aside so he could enter the room. They'd always had a good friendship, she remembered, one that had only grown as they bonded over the loss of their teammates and friends before the fateful rescue mission that caused her to be counted as one of the lost.

Though, looking at the soldier standing awkwardly in front of her, Sarah was pretty certain Becker, too, could have been counted in that number.

"You've changed," she told him softly, sitting down and inviting him wordlessly to join her. Still, she wasn't surprised when he remained standing. "You know none of what happened is your fault, don't you?"

Becker's jaw clenched, his gaze focused on a spot on the wall just above her head. "I shouldn't have let you get separated from the rest of us."

"You didn't _let_ me do anything." She shook her head at him but resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I wasn't alone, Becker. I had three of your soldiers with me. If you'd been there, you'd have been just as surprised by the attack as they were."

He wouldn't agree with her, no matter how true it was. "Did Danny say how long he thought he'd be?"

The change of subject did make her roll her eyes but her attempt at a smile didn't last for long. "He didn't say. He just said there was something he had to do before he could come home."

Something in her voice made Becker look at her, an eyebrow arched knowingly as the corner of one side of his mouth twitched. "So you've forgiven him for not letting you go with him, then?"

Remembering her plea for Danny to take her with him when he left with Connor and Abby to go after Helen – and remembering the very many rants she'd had in front of Becker in the aftermath when it became clear their friends weren't going to return without help – Sarah felt her cheeks grown warm. "He still has a ways to go before I forgive him entirely but we're working on it."

Becker smirked outright. "I'm sure you are."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Trying and failing to fight a blush, Sarah frowned up at him.

"Nothing." The faux innocent look on his face did nothing to appease her. "So have you told him you…"

"No." She interrupted with a heated scowl, recalling all too well a certain conversation she'd had with the man in front of her just a few days before their final rescue attempt to the future. Far too much alcohol had been consumed, she remembered, and things she'd rather have kept to herself had been revealed as a result. "I thought I'd wait till we were settled again. Besides," she added, eyes narrowing as a small smile began to play on her lips. "It's not as if you're being particularly forthcoming in that area yourself, are you?"

"Me?" Becker's confusion appeared to be genuine. "I don't…"

"You are in love with her, aren't you?" She kept her voice soft but allowed herself a moment of satisfaction when his eyes widened in something akin to panic before his regular non-committal mask fell into place.

"Who?"

"A certain pretty Field Co-ordinator?" Sarah's grin widened when Becker suddenly became very interested in the floor, his hands in his pockets in a typically sheepish manner. "You're in love with her." There was a short silence but, Sarah noted, no denial from the ARC's Captain. "It's okay, Becker. You are allowed to have feelings, you know."

"It's complicated."

"Isn't it always?" She laughed, a little humourlessly, but held his gaze when he looked at her. "Don't you think you should tell her?"

"Tell her what?" There was no question as to which 'her' she was referring to. "That it's complicated?"

"That you love her." Keeping her voice quiet, Sarah struggled to put her concerns into words. "From what I understand, there's been something of a misunderstanding. I spoke with Abby briefly, and she admitted she might have had something to do with it."

"A misunderstanding?" He frowned at her, not following. "With Jess? And Abby?"

"There are… rumours… going around. About you and me. Apparently, Abby and Connor thought something might have happened between us after… after they left. Or at least that your feelings for me weren't strictly platonic." If she wasn't feeling awkward about bringing up the subject, Sarah thought she might've laughed at the expression on his face. "And if they thought that, you can be certain Jess does, too. In fact, I know she does."

"You think she...?" Becker's eyes widened and he lifted a hand to run it through his hair. "Has she said something? Done something to make you think...?"

"She's been perfectly lovely to me, which is a bit of surprise given I'm pretty sure she's in love with you, too," Sarah admitted with a shrug. "If I were her, I don't think I'd be quite so nice."

"That's just Jess." The beginnings of a smile touched his lips. "She's... friendly."

Agreeing, Sarah thought back to the expression on Jess's face when the younger woman had insisted that there was nothing going on between herself and Becker. "But it's the way she looks at me sometimes. Like she's trying to put a brave face on it and be happy but inside her heart's breaking and she doesn't know how to handle it." It was something she'd had a little experience with herself in the past, remembering how much of a struggle she'd had to keep from letting her feelings overwhelm her after Danny and the others had been declared missing in action. "I don't want to be responsible for anyone feeling that way, Becker, so I really think you should tell her. I've cleared everything up with Abby already and the rumour mill will probably take care of everything else."

"Okay. Maybe." He wasn't sure he was ready to make any sudden declarations to Jess but he knew he had to clear up any confusion between them. As fond as he was of Sarah, there was only one woman his mind conjured up when he thought about a relationship and that was the Field Co-ordinator who, now that he thought about it, had been avoiding him since Sarah's return. "I'm glad you're back, Sarah. I'm just sorry..."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. And even if there was, I forgive you." She stood, covering the distance between them to wrap her arms around him in a tight embrace. Becker's arms slid around her middle and they stood in silence for a few moments before Sarah leaned up to kiss his cheek.

Movement out of the corner of her eye had her looking towards the door that hadn't full closed and she stifled a sigh on seeing a flash of colour – green, the colour Jess had been wearing earlier – disappear.

"You should really go and have that conversation with her now," Sarah advised quietly. "Even if you're not ready to tell her how you feel, at least you can tell her enough to give her hope."

***

The small bag of toiletries she'd forgotten to give Sarah were left beside the door of the other woman's room. Jess walked away as quickly as she could without drawing too much attention to herself. She collected her things from her locker and signed out of the building, making it through the security checkpoints in record time.

She was _not_ going to cry. She refused.

 

She was happy for them. _Really_. She was.

She just... sod it.

The first tear that slid down her cheek annoyed her, but she was powerless to stop it or the second or the third. Driving while crying was never a smart thing to do and she made a concerted effort to compose herself – at least until she was in the safety of her flat where no one would bear witness to her breakdown.

It was stupid, she told herself harshly. _Childish_. Selfish and pathetic and... and... lots of other words she couldn't think of.

By the time she made it home, she was just as angry with herself as she was upset. She had no right to feel the way she did, no reason to believe that even if Sarah hadn't come home Becker would have ever made a move or developed feelings for her.

With that thought in mind, feeling more miserable than she had before, Jess parked outside of her building and hurried inside. She let herself into her flat, closing and locking the door behind her, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

There was a bottle of white wine in the fridge with her name on it, and a bar of chocolate in the cupboard she'd been saving for a girl's night in with Abby and Emily. Alcohol to numb the ache in her chest, chocolate to sweeten the bitterness she felt, just what...

"Jess." The voice was familiar but still startled her  mostly because its owner shouldn't have been able to get into her flat without her knowledge – and, because even if he'd followed her from the ARC, there was no way he could have made it to the flat before her. "Don't be scared."

Scared wasn't the word she was thinking of, Jess thought as she fumbled for the light switch to illuminate her unexpected house guest. Or guests, plural, she corrected herself when the light came on and flooded the room, revealing not only Becker but Matt, too.

Only they weren't the Matt and Becker she knew. They both looked older, wearier, almost defeated. There were barely healed cuts marring the skin of Matt's face, dark smudges under Becker's pained eyes. And the way Becker was looking at her...

"Who are you?" Jess took a small step back when Becker stood up from where he'd been sitting on the sofa. "Why are you here?"

"You know who we are, Jess." Matt's tone was mild, his expression giving very little away. "We're from the future, and we're here because we need your help."

" _My_ help?" Jess's eyes widened but she held her ground, even when Becker – the Becker from the future – took another step towards her. "But you've already changed the future. Saved it. What can I do...?"

"It changed again," Becker told her, his dark eyes focused entirely on her. He stared at her intensely, greedily, as though he hadn't seen her in a very long time. "For the worse."

Somehow, the declaration didn't surprise her, not when she took in the two men in her living room. "And you think I can help you change it back? I'm flattered, but I really think you should be talking to Connor or yourselves or..."

"It's your help we need, Jess." Matt got up from the chair he'd been sitting in. "We have the device Connor made. Now we need you to finish what your future self started and complete the programme."

"The programme..?" There was only one programme she could think of, one she'd only just started to play around with and hadn't mentioned to anyone because she was almost certain it wouldn't work and, even if it did, she knew the chances of Lester and the higher-ups allowing it to be used were slim.

"You know what I'm talking about." Matt held her gaze. "The one you're working on to open anomalies to specific dates in time." At her guilty expression, the team leader shook his head. "You're not in trouble, Jess. It's a good idea."

"So it's not responsible for whatever you've come back to fix? I mean, I haven't figured out how to make it work and, to be honest, I don't really think I can..."

"You can. You have to, Jessica." Becker, so similar yet so different to the man she knew advanced on her and grasped her shoulders. "If you don't help us..." Emotion flared in his eyes but was gone before she could analyse it. "People will die, Jess."

Swallowing hard, for a moment Jess allowed herself to believe he was talking about her – not that she wanted to die, of course, but the anguish in his voice and the misery in his eyes... She told herself that one of the people he was talking about must be Sarah and promised she'd do whatever she could to help prevent him from losing her again.

"I'll do what I can," she heard herself say, "but I don't know how much help I'll actually be."

"Just try." She heard the hope in Matt's voice and hoped he wasn't setting himself up for disappointment. "If you can get the programme working, we can take care of the rest."

Frowning as she realised what it meant, Jess's shoulders slumped under Becker's hands. "I'll need to go back to the ARC. Everything I was working on is there…"

"We've got a copy of the latest programme." Matt took a flash drive out of his pocket, holding it up for her to see. "But before you get to work on it, I need you to do something else for me."

"What?" Very aware that Becker still hadn't relinquished his hold on her, Jess gave the man closest to her a vaguely apologetic look before freeing herself so she could walk towards Matt.

Matt looked uncomfortable for a moment. "I need you to arrange a meeting for me. With myself."

***

The last thing Matt expected when he answered his phone after seeing Jess's number was to hear her tell him that his future counterpart was in her flat and wanted to meet with him. His face must have lost all colour, as Emily moved to stand at his side, concern shining in her dark brown eyes.

"Are you okay, Jess?" Remembering the glint in his counterpart's eyes during their brief meeting in the darkened hallways of the ARC, Matt's first priority was to check the young woman he'd come to think of as family hadn't been coerced into making the phone call in any way.

_"I'm fine."_ Other than sounding a little stunned, that was. _"He said it's urgent, Matt. He needs to meet you at the ARC but that he can't get in as easily now as he could before. Wait, before?"_ Jess was momentarily distracted. _"You've seen each other before?"_

Not sure if she was talking to him or… his other self… Matt answered her anyway. "Once. Briefly. Why does he need to see me at the ARC?"

There was a short pause, a muffled conversation he couldn't hear clearly. _"Because there's something happening at the ARC that you need to stop,"_ Jess said when she came back on the line. _"He's going to leave now and he wants you to meet him there. He says… you have to help him put a quarantine in place."_

From the surprise in her voice, Matt knew she hadn't been aware of that before she made the phone call. "Okay, I'll meet you both there. I can be there in…"

_"Not both of us, Matt."_ Jess sounded a little wary. _"I'm… I've got something else I need to do."_

"Jess?" Turning away from Emily even though she could still hear every word of the conversation, Matt frowned in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

_"I think so?"_ She sounded less sure, and over the phone, Matt heard another muffled voice. _"I've got to stay at home for the time being. That's all I know."_

His eyes narrowing, Matt quickly thought it over. "Who else is with you, Jess? If he wants you to stay there, I'm guessing there's someone who's going to make sure you do?"

There was another pause, a longer one. As he'd expected, there were three voices involved in the muffled conversation on the other end of the phone – Jess's, his own, and a third that sounded almost like…

"I can assure you Jess will be perfectly safe." It was a little disconcerting to suddenly hear his own voice over the line but Matt managed to keep his composure. "We have our reasons for wanting to keep her away from the ARC."

"Unless you explain who the 'we' is and what those reasons are, I'm not agreeing to anything." Matt's tone was steely. "In fact, I'm tempted to let the ARC know you're holding our Field Co-ordinator hostage and send a team over there right now."

He heard himself swear, and another whispered conversation. "Fine," his counterpart said eventually. "We'll compromise. You and I meet at the ARC in twenty minutes and initiate quarantine. Once that's done, Becker will bring Jess."

"Becker?" Matt couldn't keep the surprise from his voice. "You've got Becker with you? From your time?"

"From the future," was all his counterpart would confirm. "I'm sure you know as well as I do that out of everyone, he's the least likely to hurt her so you can rest assured that she'll make it to the ARC in one piece?"

Knowing he would trust the present Becker with Jess's life without hesitation, Matt was tempted to agree. "Let me talk to her again."

_"Matt?"_ Jess sounded no less confused, and quite concerned. _"What's going on?"_

"Jess, I know they're probably listening but I need you to be honest with me. Do you feel like you're in any kind of danger from them?"

_"No."_ She sounded surprised that he was asking. _"It's you and Becker. Just a different you and Becker."_

The complete faith she had in them both warmed him and made him worry. "Will you be okay if he – the other me – leaves you with the other Becker? It shouldn't be for more than an hour. Are you comfortable with that?"

There was a slight hesitation, and a note of uncertainty crept into her voice. _"Yes. Why? Aren't you?"_

He closed his eyes against the question, swallowing his own doubts and uncertainties. "It'll be okay. If I had to trust anyone with your safety, it'd be Becker. Even a different version of him."

_"Okay."_ He could hear the smile she forced in her voice. _"Then I'll tell them you agree and I'll see you in an hour or so."_

"You will." He'd make sure of it.

Matt waited until Jess had hung up before turning to Emily, unsurprised to find her already waiting beside the staircase leading down to the front door, an anxious expression on her face.

"You will explain everything in the car," she told him confidently, not giving him the option to do anything else.

With a sigh, knowing there'd be questions as to why he hadn't mentioned his visitor from the future sooner, Matt grabbed his car keys and followed her out of the door.

***

James Lester was not a happy man.

Due to the day's events, he hadn't left the ARC until far later than he'd planned and his wife made her unhappiness at that fact all too clear when she learned her husband would, once again, be late for dinner. When his mobile phone rang half-way through the aforementioned meal and he regretfully informed her he had to go back to work, she was far from pleased.

And now, having returned to the place he seemed to spend most of his time, Lester was confronted with not one but two men from the future – identical, in fact – one of whom was insisting on initiating quarantine and one who was against it without further information.

Lifting a hand to his face as the two Matt's continued to argue, Lester decided to take it out on them both.

"All right," he interrupted, raising his voice loud enough to be heard over theirs. "You," he said, pointing to the battered and bruised Matt. "Explain to me why we need to put the ARC in quarantine when there's been no sign of any need for it."

"Because the virus is already here," the Matt from the future told him stonily. "To reduce exposure and cut down on the risk of it getting outside of the ARC, you need to put the quarantine in place."

"What virus are you talking about and how has it come to be here?" Lester demanded before the other Matt – also from the future but living in the present – could speak.

The future Matt grimaced, clearly reluctant to answer. "Doctor Page is what we call a carrier," he said eventually. "We don't know how long the virus has been in her system but our best guess is that she's almost at the contagious stage if she's not already there. That's why you need to quarantine her and test anyone else who's been in contact with her since she came through the anomaly."

"That would be the field team, myself, Miss Parker," Lester listed quietly. "And yet you insisted Miss Parker will only return to the ARC once the quarantine is in place?"

Future Matt looked like he wanted to roll his eyes but didn't. He glanced instead at his counterpart, who was frowning at him in consternation. "If there's a chance Jess can avoid exposure to the virus once it's become active, we needed to take it. Chances are she's already contaminated but Becker thought it was worth trying, and I agreed with him. We need her to stay safe so she can complete the programme."

"Programme?" Present Matt asked, eyebrows lifting.

" _Becker_?" Lester repeated at the same time. "You mean to say there's two of you? From the future? Well, three including the other Matt…" He frowned and shook his head. "I think I feel a migraine coming on."

"I'll tell you everything you want to know after you've put the quarantine in place," future Matt told them determinedly. "I promise. But unless you want your future to be the hell I've just left, you have to listen to me and do it now."

For a moment, Lester didn't speak. He stared at the Matt from the future and saw the haunted look in his eyes, the pleading and the hope that there was a chance to prevent it. Deciding he wanted to avoid experiencing it himself if he could, the Director of the ARC gave a grudging nod to his Team Leader. "Do it."

***

Although Matt – the one she was beginning to think of as her Matt, as opposed to the other one – had called to confirm the quarantine was in place, Becker – the other one – seemed very reluctant to follow through on the promise his companion from the future had made. Even after speaking briefly to future Matt and promising they were on their way, Becker sat in silence for a few moments after hanging up the phone.

Not staring into space like Jess expected him to, staring at her instead.

"We should get going then, yeah?" With a forced brightness, she got up from the computer she'd been working at, staring at lines and lines of code. She saved her work onto the flash drive and slipped it into her handbag, keeping herself busy so she didn't look at him even though she could feel his gaze on her. "We really don't want to keep Lester waiting. Especially not if he's been dragged in from home. His wife probably won't be best pleased, which always puts him in a horrible mood…"

Her nervous ramblings came to an abrupt end when she turned around to find he'd moved silently behind her, standing so there was only a minimal amount of space between them.

"You shouldn't go back," Becker told her quietly. "You should stay here."

"Matt said I needed to go back and be tested," she answered just as quietly. "He mentioned something about a virus? That's why you're here, isn't it? To stop it from spreading?"

His jaw clenched but he didn't look away. "If you're not infected, you should stay away from the ARC."

"And if I am infected, the ARC is the best and safest place for me to be." She tried to give him a reassuring smile but found she couldn't maintain it, not when he was standing so close and causing her stomach to flutter nervously. "Am I… Was I infected? Is that why you need me to finish the programme? Because I died in the future before I could?"

"You're not going to die." Becker lifted a hand to touch her cheek, causing her breath to catch in her throat. "I'm not going to let that happen."

It was then that she saw it – felt it. The metal was warm against her skin. Jess took a step back, forcing him to drop his hand, as her heart began to pound.

The gold of Becker's wedding ring glinted in the light.

There was a dull ache in her chest at the thought. Despite how he was behaving towards her, she couldn't bring herself to hope that the woman who wore the matching ring would be herself. Forcing a smile, she moved further away from him, breaking eye contact as she reached for her jacket and bag.

"We shouldn't keep them waiting. If I know Matt, he'll have a security team on stand-by." Without checking to see if he was following, Jess made her way to the front door.

***

Becker paced the ground in front of the first security checkpoint, stopping to look up every time he heard a car but resuming his agitated actions when a quick glance confirmed it wasn't Jess and his future self.

His future self.

That was… weird, to put it mildly. And the thought of his future self being alone with Jess in her flat for the last hour when he'd never actually been there himself was just _wrong_ somehow.

Beside him, a medic suited up in full hazmat gear waited, too. Becker himself had been tested and the results were being processed. He'd turned down the offer of a suit himself, pointing out that it wouldn't do him any good if he was infected and if he was infected, well, there was a good chance Jess was, too.

They'd both been around Sarah, both sat and talked to her for a while.

The archaeologist had become fearful when the news had been broken to her – not for herself, but for the others she'd been with. The virus spread like the common cold, through touch, but thankfully, the Matt from the future – the second Matt from the future – had told them that a good percentage of people had a natural immunity to it.

At least in its original state.

As it mutated and grew resistant to the treatments that were developed, the resistance even those immune to the original virus was slowly but surely eroded.

Sarah had volunteered instantly to go into quarantine but the expression on future Matt's face had suggested it would already be too late for some. Those who'd been on duty when she'd returned had been recalled to the ARC; those who hadn't been in contact with her had been ordered to set up a second operation in the ARC's second building, with the walkway between the two sealed as a precaution. Once the results came in, those in the clear would also move to the second base of operations and work would resume as normal, while those infected…

Becker shook himself mentally; he wouldn't think about that. So far, Sarah was the only person who was definitely infected and the medics were already working to find a way to change that no matter what the other Matt from the future said.

They wouldn't give up. They never gave up.

Not on one of their own.

Finally, the car that pulled into the ARC's car park belonged to Jess, and Becker strode towards it determinedly as she pulled in to her designated place. He hesitated for only a split second when he caught a glimpse of himself sitting in the passenger's seat beside her, his eyes narrowing as his counterpart appeared to say something that either stunned or upset the Field Co-ordinator – or maybe both.

Covering the remaining distance between himself and the car, he opened Jess's door for her while she continued to stare at his future self in surprise. "Jess?"

Jess turned away from the man sitting beside her to stare up at him, her expression no less confused though he thought he saw a flash of _something_ in her eyes before she covered it with an uneasy smile. "Becker."

"The medic's waiting for you," he told her quietly, a little more authoritarian than he'd planned. He tightened his grip on the car door and told himself he didn't feel jealous – and if he did, it was stupid because the only person he could be feeling jealous of was himself. Still, his shoulders tensed when his counterpart reached out for Jess's arm before she could get out of the car.

"Don't do this." There was almost a plea in the older Becker's voice. "You don't have to go in there."

"Because if I do, I won't be coming back out?" Jess's voice was soft but Becker still heard it. He glanced away from her to his counterpart, something in him clenching painfully at the emotions momentarily revealed on the other mans' face. "It'll be okay," Jess continued, sounding uncertain but trying to bolster her tone with a smile.

She gently but firmly removed the other Becker's hand from her arm and slipped out of the car. Becker reached for her automatically when for a moment it looked like she was going to lose her balance. He studied her face, noted the distinct lack of colour in it other than the blossoming patches of pink in her cheeks, and felt something akin to dread coil up in the pit of his stomach.

Giving him a small smile of thanks, she moved past him once she'd steadied herself and walked up to the medic waiting for her.

Knowing he was supposed to direct his future self to Lester's office, Becker clenched his hands into fists in an effort to keep himself from following her.

"It won't be okay," his future self's voice surprised him, as did the hollow tone he used and the anguished expression that arranged his weary features as Jess walked away from them both. He tore his gaze away from her departing form and met Becker's eyes. "Nothing will be."

Before Becker could question him, his counterpart slammed the car door shut with far more force than was necessary. When he started towards the entrance to the ARC, Becker automatically moved to fall in step with him, a frown on his face as he wondered what the future had in store.

***

The atmosphere in Lester's office was tense. Lester wasn't sure it could be anything else, what with there being two Matt's and two Becker's and the head of the Medical Bay, Doctor Robson, hoping to glean whatever information he could about the virus that threatened the facility – and, if those from the future were to be believed, the fate of the human race.

The other members of the team were in the medical bay, where they had agreed to sit and wait until the test results were back. As future Matt and Becker had obviously survived and the former had been declared to have natural immunity, their present day counterparts had been granted an exception so they could attend the briefing.

Not that much was being said, Lester thought in annoyance. Nothing very helpful, anyway.

"So let me see if I can understand this," the director of the ARC said after a moment's silence. "In taking Doctor Page to the future to heal her injuries, Danny accidentally exposed them both to this virus?"

"Yes." The answer, short and exasperated, came from Matt's future counterpart. Becker's future counterpart hadn't answered a single question, staring instead out of the glass wall of Lester's office as the near-deserted hub.

"And you believe this 'errand' he's gone back to run… He's trying to find another future where there's a cure?"

"Yes. And if you hadn't put the quarantine in place, it wouldn't have made a difference. In our timeline, the virus had already got outside of the ARC and had mutated by the time Danny returned. Our medical science couldn't keep up with it and the cure Danny brought back only helped those who were infected with the initial strain. Those who developed the second and third strains… There was nothing that could be done. The virus spread like the common cold but had an affect like the plague. Within four years, the Earth's population had diminished by a third."

Lester nodded grimly, trying to control his response to the bleak prophecy.  "But by you coming back here, inciting us to quarantine all those who may have been infected, that future has now been averted?"

Future Matt looked at future Becker; the other man remained silent. "We believe so," the future team leader said eventually. "For now. But the virus is still here. Sarah is still a carrier. There's still a chance it could develop and spread and we'd be right back where we started again."

"So what are you suggesting we do? Keep Sarah in quarantine until Danny comes back?"

"As a first resort, yes." Future Matt met present Becker's gaze. "As a second resort, we need Jess to keep working on the programme she started developing. If she can get it to work…"

"Ah, yes. The programme." Lester interrupted, his eyes narrowing. "Would someone care to tell me why our Field Co-ordinator has been working on this little side project? She had nothing to do with the initial design of the anomaly opening device. And she, of all people, should be aware of the risks involved in playing with anomalies."

For the first time since entering the room, the Becker from the future spoke, an undeniable edge in his voice. "She was working on the programme to help solve the overcrowding of the menagerie. Abby mentioned in passing that she wished there was a way to return the creatures to their rightful time and with collating the data for the budgets, Jess realised that the money spent on the upkeep of the animals could be better spent on other resources."

Lester nodded slowly, agreeing with the assessment. In theory, it was a sound idea – and a perfect solution to one of the main budget constraints facing the ARC. "Then why hasn't she mentioned it before? She and Connor could've been working on it weeks ago…"

"It wouldn't have been approved," Matt – present day Matt – interrupted before anyone else could. "You know the Minister would never go for it, Lester, not when we've still got the fallout of New Dawn to clear up."

Biting back a sigh, knowing Matt was right, Lester looked again at the faces of the other people in the room. "Going back to our current situation, you think if Jess can finish the programme, you can get it to work on the device you brought with you and what exactly? What will it achieve? The virus will still be here."

"But hopefully we can open an anomaly to the future and bring back the cure before it can mutate," future Matt answered quietly. "Or, failing that…"

"Failing that what?" Present day Becker narrowed his eyes as he looked at the future leader. "What's the other solution?"

It was future Becker who answered, meeting his own gaze across the room. "If that fails, we go back and stop Danny from bringing Sarah home in the first place. At least until they're both free of the virus."

"And if you can't cure them of the virus?" His eyes narrowed, Becker glared at his counterpart.

Future Becker's jaw clenched but he refused to look away. "We don't let them come back."

"But…"

"We're wasting time, Matt," ignoring his present day counterpart, future Becker turned his attention on to his time-travelling companion. "We need to assume Jess isn't going to be able to finish the programme. We need to get out there, look for Danny or the right anomaly."

"Going blindly from anomaly to anomaly and hope we get lucky?" Future Matt looked sceptical, but there was sympathy in his eyes. "I know how you feel, mate, but our best chance is for Jess to finish the programme. And if she can't, well, maybe Connor will be able to finish it for her."

Future Becker stared at future Matt for several, tense moments. "You have no idea how I feel," he said eventually. "No one does."

Without a word, future Becker moved from his position of leaning against the wall opposite his counterpart and left the room. Present Becker moved to follow but Lester shook his head, motioning for his Head of Security to stay where he was.

"Do I even want to ask…?" Lester asked almost conversationally, his eyes fixed on future Matt.

For a moment, the other man looked like he was going to stay silent. Then he sighed and shook his head. "When the results come back, they'll show that only two members of the team other than Sarah are currently infected. One is Connor, and he manages to hold out until Danny gets back with the cure."

"And the other?" Even as he asked, present day Matt had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Her immune system is already vulnerable – the doc here will confirm it," future Matt hedged. "She hasn't made a full recovery from the venom of the beetles so the virus has a far faster effect on her than on any of the others who were initially exposed."

Present day Becker's shoulders tensed as his eyes narrowed. "You mean Jess."

"In our timeline, Jess died just over a week after being infected. Danny made it back with the cure two weeks later." Matt's expression was one of grief and sympathy. "There was nothing anyone could do for her."

Silence descended once again over the office. The three men closest to Jess in the present time avoided looking at each other, each lost in their own thoughts. Doctor Robson scribbled furiously in his notepad, no doubt making a record of the timescale he had to work with.

"How sure are you that she's already infected now?" Matt asked the question no one else wanted to, fixing himself with a cool, assessing stare as though daring him to reply with the answer they didn't want.

"I'm ninety per cent certain that we're too late to change that aspect of the timeline," future Matt answered without hesitation. "From what we were able to determine, Sarah became infectious within two hours of being back in this time. She and Jess spoke about four hours after she was brought back. Jess has already been exposed, which means…"

What it meant went unsaid.

"So why was your Becker determined to keep her away from the ARC?" Present Matt frowned at him, glancing briefly at present day Becker. "If she's already been exposed..?"

"Because he knew once she stepped foot inside the ARC, she wouldn't be walking back out." It was Becker who answered, remembering the tail-end of the conversation he'd heard as he'd waited for Jess to get out of the car.

When future Matt couldn't deny it, Becker pushed away from the wall and walked out after his counterpart, leaving the others to stare after him.

***

She felt terrible. Not physically; physically, she felt absolutely fine. But in every other way…

Sarah lay on her back on the bed in the lab that had been transformed into a quarantine bay, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes stung but she blinked back tears, knowing they were futile. Crying wouldn't fix anything; crying wouldn't make the plague she'd managed to bring back with her disappear.

When she heard the door to the room open, she assumed it was one of the medics in their hazmat suits, coming to take some more blood or run another test. When she felt warm skin against her fingers, she jumped, eyes wide as she stared at the person who'd moved to stand beside her bed.

"It's not your fault," Jess told her quietly, giving her hand a squeeze before breaking contact, moving to sit on the edge of the bed opposite Sarah's own. "You didn't know this was going to happen so don't start blaming yourself."

"What are you doing in here?" Sarah sat up on the bed, swinging her legs over the side of it so she could face Jess. "You shouldn't be… Oh. No. Oh, please tell me you're not…"

"Infected?" Jess's smile was forced, humourless. "Sorry. I wish I could."

"Oh, my god. Jess, I'm so sorry." The tears were back, stinging her eyes as she stared at the pale young woman. "I should never have come back here. Danny should never have brought me here." Anger surged through her, tinged with confusion. "Damn it, why did he do that? If he knew, why did he bring me here…?"

"Because he wanted to save you," Jess answered quietly, even though she knew it'd been a rhetorical question. "From what I've been told, I think Danny maybe didn't know you were contagious or were going to become contagious so quickly. But even if he had known…" She shrugged a shoulder. "He obviously cares about you a lot to risk his life to go back and save you from the predators."

"He's a good friend," Sarah admitted with a shrug, not wanting to divulge just how good when the man himself wasn't there – and, she worried, wouldn't make it back until it was too late. Again. "But if he'd known what this would do, I'm sure he'd have thought of something else. He wouldn't have brought me here knowing…" She broke off and bit her lip. "Is it just you?"

"So far." Jess shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently they put a rush on my results because they kind of suspected I would test positive."

Sarah's brow furrowed momentarily. "Why would they suspect…?"

"Our… visitors... from the future. They know more than they originally let on." Jess shrugged again but stared down at her hands rather than meeting Sarah's questioning gaze.

The door to the room opened again before Sarah could press her for more details, and a resigned Connor walked in, one laptop back slung over his shoulder with another laptop Jess recognised as her own in his hands.

"You, too?" Sarah closed her eyes when the unusually quiet scientist nodded, passing Jess her laptop before sitting on the bed beside the Field Co-ordinator. "I'm so sorry, Connor."

"S'not your fault," Connor told her quietly, no trace of blame in his voice or on his face though Sarah still had her eyes closed and couldn't see him. Turning to Jess, he nudged the young woman with his elbow and gave her a reassuring smile. "Look on the bright side: we get to be roomies again."

Barely managing a small chuckle, Jess tightened her grip on the laptop he'd given her. Connor wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him for a moment, drawing comfort from his presence no matter how much she wished he wasn't there, too.

With a sigh, she pulled away, resolutely opening the laptop on her knee. "We've got work to do."

"We do." Pushing their situation to the back of his mind, Connor reached for his own laptop. "Why don't you send me what you've done so far and I'll try and catch up?"

As the two allowed themselves to become swept away by their challenge, Sarah opened her eyes and watched them work, praying her return wouldn't come at the cost of someone else.

***

The positive side of it was that no one else was showing signs of infection. The negative side was that the grim events that the Matt from the future looked like they were happening just as they had in the timeline their future visitors were trying to change.

Abby was distraught at the thought of losing her fiancé and two of her closest friends – one of them for the second time. The reassurances she received that Connor survived his initial bout with the virus weren't very comforting when future Matt couldn't or wouldn't tell her whether he survived when the virus mutated.

Standing on the other side of the window overlooking the room that had become the quarantined medical bay, she wrapped her arms around her middle and gazed into Connor's eyes as he moved to join her.

"It's going to be okay," Connor told her through the private comm link Jess had set up for them, his smile a little too bright to be believable. "You'll see."

"Connor." Biting her lip, Abby tightened her arms. "You don't know that for sure."

"I know I'm gonna live long enough to marry you," he replied instantly, hope that he was telling the truth shining in his dark eyes. "Look, you've got nothing to worry about. I feel fine. Danny'll be back any day now from his jaunt to the future and even if he isn't, with me and Jess working on this thing, you know we'll get it done in time."

Abby wanted to believe him, desperately, but couldn't quite bring herself to do so. At the mention of the Field Co-ordinator and their former flatmate, her gaze slipped past Connor to the woman sitting cross-legged on the middle bed in the room with her laptop in front of her. Abby frowned, noting the pallor of Jess's skin and the extra layers of clothing the young woman was wearing. "She doesn't look very well."

Following her gaze for a moment, Connor turned back to his fiancée with a guilty expression on his face. "It's affecting her differently," he confessed quietly, not wanting to be overheard by his roommates. "I overheard Doctor Robson talking with one of the medics. She hadn't recovered fully from the run in with the beetles so her immune system's already weakened."

Abby's expression softened and she looked at Connor in sympathetic understanding. "It's not your fault, Connor. You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened."

"I opened the anomaly in the first place, let the beetles come through it. How is it _not_ my fault?" When she couldn't reply, he shook his head, his shoulders drooping. "She'll be okay, yeah?"

"Yeah." If her smile was a little thin, he didn't comment on it. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Con? Is there anything else I can bring you from home?"

"The only thing I want I can't have," Connor told her with a lopsided grin. "And wouldn't really want, since it'd mean you coming in here and that's a risk we're not gonna take."

"I wish I could." Unwrapping an arm from her middle, she pressed her hand against the glass between them. "Promise me you'll be okay?"

Connor smiled at her and repeated the gesture, placing his palm against hers on the other side of the window. "Nothin's gonna stop me from marrying you, Abs. I promise you that."

Blinking back the tears that sprung to her eyes, she managed a watery smile. "I can't wait."

***

Once Abby had left what they were now calling the observation room to seek sanctuary with the animals in the menagerie, someone else took her place. With the lights switched off, the glass took on a mirror-like surface to the occupants of the quarantine bay, giving him a chance to stand and watch without being watched himself.

Until the door behind him opened to admit another visitor entry to the room.

"Something wrong the lights?" Becker, the one who belonged to this time, moved to stand beside him without turning them on. He followed his counterpart's gaze and frowned when he noticed the subject of the intense stare. "Is there something else I should know?"

His counterpart barely glanced at him, but Becker could see his lips twitch in a humourless smirk in the reflective surface of the glass. "You already do. You just don't want to admit it."

Deciding to leave the cryptic comment alone, Becker instead stared through the glass at the room's residents. Connor looked immersed in the laptop screen in front of him, his brow furrowed as he focused on what he was doing. Sarah was half-heartedly leafing through one of the many magazines she'd been given to catch her up on current affairs, frowning as she no doubt struggled to recognise half of the names printed in the glossy pages. And Jess…

Jess was sitting on her bed, staring at her own laptop though Becker could tell she wasn't actually seeing what was on the screen in front of her. There was a distant expression on her face, one he didn't see often but sometimes caught a glimpse of on quiet days when she allowed herself to get lost in her daydreams at the ADD. The only difference was, when it appeared on her face at the ADD it was usually accompanied by a little half-smile that made him certain whatever she was thinking was good. Now, though…

"We can't waste any more time," his counterpart said suddenly, his tone brusque. "The longer we wait…"

"They've only just started working on it." As much as he was battling with his own sense of urgency, Becker found himself defending Connor and Jess. "Give them a chance."

"Giving them a chance last time meant waiting until it was too late." Tearing his gaze away from the glass, future Becker met his younger self's gaze evenly. "Do you really want to take that risk?"

Unable to maintain eye contact for long, the younger man returned his gaze to the occupants of the room. "Danny might make it back in time."

"He won't. Not unless we start looking for him." The older Becker grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. The simple band of gold he wore on his finger glinted. "There's only one way to save her, and that's to go to the future ourselves."

"You're married." Becker frowned, turning away from the window to face his counterpart. "Does your wife know you're here?"

A strained smile quirked the corners of the older man's mouth. "In a manner of speaking."

"And she doesn't mind?" Becker quirked an eyebrow. "That you're here primarily to save…?"

"My wife?" Future Becker smirked at the confusion on his younger counterpart's face. "I'd say she has no objections to me being here to save her but you're welcome to ask her."

Quickly looking between the older man and the young woman sitting on the bed in the other room, Becker's frown deepened. " _Jess_ is your wife?"

"Yes." His counterpart answered without hesitation. "I don't think she's realised it yet, though. She seems to think… Well. You should know what she thinks."

"She thinks there's something between Sarah and me," Becker answered slowly. Subconsciously mimicking the older man, he ran a hand through his hair. "Which is ridiculous, but means she thinks that Sarah…"

"… is your wife. When really she is. Jess. She's your wife. _Our_ wife. And that sounds… weird." Future Becker shook his head. "Matt tried to get me to stay behind, said my being here might change things and not in a good way."

Becker shrugged a shoulder, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, still trying to come to terms with the knowledge the ring on his future self's finger had been put there by Jess. "How… I don't understand when you got married. If she's dying…"

There was a pause. Future Becker turned his attention back to the woman on the other side of the glass. "It was the only way."

"The only way to what?" It hadn't saved her; his future self wouldn't be here if it had.

"To make her believe how I felt about her. I'm still not sure whether she really knew or just said she did." Future Becker shrugged a shoulder, the pain visible on his face and audible in his voice. "It took too long to convince her that I wanted to marry her out of love and not pity. We didn't have long together, not long enough by half."

"And that's why you're here? To have longer with her in case she can't be saved?" Becker narrowed his eyes, realising that the sudden surge of jealousy he felt was stupid when he was effectively talking to himself but unable to bring himself to care. If anyone was going to spend time with Jess... if anyone was going to...

Future Becker shook his head, turning away from the glass with visible effort to stare at his counterpart. "I'm not going to get in your way. You're the one who needs to convince her how we – you - feel about her this time. I'm here to try and make sure that when you do, you get longer with her than I did."

Becker stared at him in silence for a few moments, his gaze straying back to Jess without conscious thought. "I... _Married_? We haven't even... We're not..."

"You're not in love with her?" Future Becker snorted humourlessly. "Trust me, you might think it's easier to lie to yourself about that but it's not. Losing her hurts like hell regardless, and nothing else matters after that."

Becker gazed at Jess, his heart beginning to pound in his chest at the thought of a future without her.

A world without her.

What would it be like, he thought, to wake up in the morning and know she was gone? To walk through the hallways of the ARC knowing someone else would be sitting in her chair? To hear someone else's voice in his ear, feeding him information and advice while he was out in the field, knowing that it wasn't because Jess had had to leave her desk for a moment but because she wasn't there?

Never hearing her laugh, seeing her smile. Making her blush, hearing her nervous ramblings. Never knowing what it was like to kiss her, hold her… Never being able to learn about her childhood, about the things that had happened to shape her into the woman he…

It made something in his chest ache painfully, an emptiness spreading through him, churning his stomach as his mouth went dry.

"What is it you think we should do?" He asked eventually, his voice low.

His counterpart stared at him with equal parts understanding and determination. "We try and find the future ourselves. And we take Jess with us."

***

Becker stood alone at the observation window, staring unseeingly through the glass in front of him. His counterpart's words still rang in his head, his arguments for why they should leave – and take Jess with them – circling around his mind.

Becker had objected to the idea, of course. As much as he understand his future self's motivations in wanting to take Jess to the cure if he couldn't be sure the cure would come to her in time, present day Becker wasn't sure the risk was worth it. Surely the best place for her if – _when_ – she started to deteriorate would be at the ARC, surrounded by qualified medical personnel and equipment and drugs?

His counterpart had disagreed, stating that it had done her no good last time, before walking out of the room, no doubt in search of one of the two Matt's, hoping one of them would agree to his plan.

He couldn't bring himself to leave.

He knew he should; there was work to be done, other places he should be. But he couldn't tear himself away from the window, where he could stand unobserved and thinking about everything that had happened.

Sarah was alive, back where she belonged.

Danny was going to come home eventually.

Jess was going to die.

Jess, his wife.

That was something he still couldn't get his head around. He couldn't see it happening, couldn't picture himself being so desperate that he insisted on her marrying him on her deathbed… Not unless…

Not unless it was the only thing he could do to keep her with him, the only thing he could offer her in order to encourage her to fight and stay with him rather than give in to the demands of the virus she'd been unwittingly exposed to.

Damn it.

He sat down heavily in one of the chairs in the room, running a hand through his hair as he stared down at the floor between his feet.

If she didn't believe him, if she didn't think she had a reason to keep fighting… Yeah. Yeah, he'd ask her to marry him. Hell, he'd beg. He'd do anything, say anything…

The door opened and proved to him just how out of sorts he was when he actually jumped, startled by the sound. He looked up, expecting to see either himself – and that was a weird thought – or one of the Matt's, or maybe Abby.

Lester hadn't appeared on the mental list in his mind of people who might stop by to check on their patients but on thinking about it, he should.

"Did someone forget to pay an electricity bill?" Lester asked sardonically. His hand hovered over the light switch, falling back to his side as his eyes acclimatised to the dark room and focused on the soldier sitting silently on his own. "Present or future?" Before Becker could answer, he noticed his boss's gaze drop to his hands. "Present, then."

"You noticed?" If his voice sounded a little hoarser than normal, Lester didn't comment.

"I do have eyes, Captain. I can see what's in front of me." His tone even, Lester held Becker's gaze for a moment, leaving the soldier with the distinct impression he was referring to more than his future self's marital status. "Matt believes your future self may be somewhat of a loose cannon. Especially where his wife is concerned."

Becker kept silent. He couldn't deny it, not after hearing his future self's plans. But, on the other hand, he knew better than anyone that loose cannon or not, putting Jess in danger would be the last thing either himself or his counterpart would do.

"I want you to stay with her. From a distance, obviously, unless you have a fondness for quarantine suits." Lester's tone was dry but the concern in it was palatable. "Just make sure she's as safe as she can be until Danny makes it back."

"What if he doesn't?" Becker looked up, catching Lester's eye. "What if they're right and he doesn't make it back in time?"

A shadow passed over the ARC Director's features, a blur of grief and pain he wouldn't let linger for long. "He will make it back, Becker." Lester's voice was quiet, firm. "He has to."

"But what if he doesn't?" Hating the doubt that crept into his voice, part of him feeling like he was being disloyal to the former team leader, Becker clasped his hands together again and stared down at them. "He didn't in their timeline. If he doesn't in this one…"

Connor and Sarah might be saved. The world in general might be spared an outbreak thanks to the quarantine that had been put in place but they'd still lose Jess.

"We are not going to lose her." Lester stared through the glass in the direction of their Field Co-ordinator, who was lying on her assigned bed, staring up at the ceiling as Sarah and Connor sat talking quietly on the other side of the room. "It's unacceptable."

"As unacceptable as it might be, you can't make it an order and have it happen, Lester. That won't work this time." Becker stood and joined the Director at the window. "The other me… He wants to go through the anomalies himself, look for the right one."

Lester shrugged a shoulder; the other Becker wasn't his concern. The Captain standing beside him, those on the other side of the window… They were _his_ people, and he'd do whatever he had to to keep them all safe. "If he thinks it'll help, he's more than welcome to do so."

"He wants to take Jess with him."

"No." His jaw clenched, Lester glanced at Becker. "I know he's you, Captain, but I'm not about to authorise that. He's a different man. A desperate man. There's no guarantee he'd bring her back even if he was able to find a cure."

Becker tensed, the thought having never occurred to him. He opened his mouth to protest but closed it again, his brow furrowed. Although he'd like to say he'd never do that were he in his counterpart's position, he couldn't say with absolute certainty that the man he had apparently become would be so honourable. Lester's description of him – different, desperate – stuck in his mind, as accurate as it was disturbing.

"It's your job to make sure that doesn't happen," Lester finished, turning away from the window to fix the Captain with his full stare.

"I will."

***

Connor and Sarah were sleeping soundly either side of her.  Jess bit back a sigh and sat up slowly, careful not to make too much noise. She froze when Connor snuffled in his sleep, her shoulders only relaxing when he turned over with a nonsensical grumble and began to snore again. Sliding carefully off the bed, she reached for the laptop on the bedside table and carried it quietly to the other side of the room where a few chairs and a table had been put.

She let her mind wander as the laptop loaded, which was why she didn't notice she wasn't alone until he spoke.

"An anomaly will open in an hour not far from here." As she lifted a hand to cover her racing heart, she squinted up at the man standing beside her. Even though she recognised the voice instantly, the darkness of the room was making it difficult to see him. "It's the first one we need to go through if we're going to catch up with Danny."

"You shouldn't be in here. You're exposing yourself to the virus."

"Don't worry about that. We have to go."

 "We?" Even without being able to see him properly, she knew the Becker that moved to crouch in front of her wasn't the one from her time. His hands wrapped around hers, the unfamiliar touch and the metal of his wedding ring warm against her cool skin. "You mean you and Matt?"

"No. I mean you and me." His eyes gleamed in the light of the laptop screen slowly coming to life on the table beside her. "You have to come with me, Jess. It's the only way we can be sure you get the treatment you need."

"But...That's crazy!" Her eyes widening, Jess tried to remember to keep her voice quiet. "You want me to go with you on a wild anomaly chase, going to however many different timelines and running the risk of infecting hundreds if not thousands of species…"

"You're not a carrier. You're not infectious." Becker's brow furrowed, his hands tightening over hers. "You could leave here and not harm anyone."

"Then why wouldn't they let me leave in your time?" It was Jess's turn to frown, confusion in her voice. "You said once I walked through these doors, I wouldn't walk out again. If I'm not contagious…"

"Because they're scared. They're cowards." His tone was bitter, laced with anger. "No matter how much we fought to get you out of here, they wouldn't listen. Please, Jess. Come with me."

She shook her head, tried to pull her hand away. "You're _married_. Don't you have a wife to get back to? A family? Why are you doing this, risking everything, when you still have a future…?"

"My future is dependent on what happens here."

Jess swallowed, hating the anguish in his voice. "So your wife…"

"Died." He choked on the word but held her gaze. "My wife died. Two days after we got married."

"I'm sorry, Becker. Truly I am." She gave his hands a sympathetic squeeze since he wouldn't let hers go. "Hopefully Danny will make it back in time and Sarah…"

A derisive noise escaped him. "Sarah wasn't my wife, Jessica. _You_ were. _Are_. Will be. It's complicated."

"I don't…" Jess froze. "I don't understand. _Me?_ "

"Lester conducted the ceremony. Abby and Connor, Matt and Emily were our witnesses." He spoke quickly, as if afraid she'd interrupt him. "We got married in the medical bay of the ARC because they wouldn't let you leave. The day you died…"

"You don't have to tell me this," Jess interrupted, not sure she wanted to hear what he was going to say.

"I do, because you still don't believe me." He let go with one of his hands, lifting it to her face instead. A calloused finger tip traced her cheek with a tenderness that caused her breath to catch in her throat. "The day you died, we managed to sneak you up onto the roof. It was the nearest you got to going outside again. We were watching the sunrise. You fell asleep in my arms. I couldn't get you to wake up again."

A tear slid down his cheek, breaking her heart. Jess opened her mouth to speak but her voice failed her and she closed it again.

"Please, Jessica. Come with me."

For a moment, for a split-second, she was tempted to say yes. But only for a moment, because that was how long it took for her to remember that the man in front of her wasn't the same man she'd fallen in love with.

"I can't." It hurt to say no to him, more so at the flash of rejection in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I really am. But I can't go with you. I can't be her."

"You _are_ her, Jess."

"No, I'm not. I don't think I ever will be, not in this time." She blinked back tears of her own and gently disengaged her hand from his. "If you have to go, I understand, but please don't ask me to go with you again."

"He won't." Matt – future Matt, Jess guessed, sounded grim as he appeared behind Becker. "Come on, mate. If we're gonna do this, we have to go now."

For a moment, Jess thought Becker was going to protest. He gave her a long, searching look, his expression defeated when he didn't see what he wanted to in her eyes. "I won't let you down again. I promise."

He kissed her before she could protest, before she could tell him she was sure he hadn't let her – the other her – down in the first place. And then he was gone, slipping out of the room as though he'd never been there. Matt lingered for a few seconds, his expression both sympathetic and understanding.

"I'll take care of him," the team leader promised. "Just keep fighting, Jess."

***

The news that the duo from the future had left like thieves in the night surprised no one. If anything, Lester's response to the news was relief; it was one less problem he had to worry about, less paperwork he needed to complete. Matt voiced his concerns that the ADD hadn't picked up on the anomaly they'd used to leave but Jess and Connor, working on their laptops from quarantine, were quickly able to determine that one of them – future Matt, they suspected – had temporarily knocked the anomaly detector offline.

"I'm reviewing the CCTV footage now," Jess reported through the comms. "I've got a clear view of the anomaly so if anything came through..." Her voice trailed off as she watched future Matt and Becker appear on the screen. She watched in silence, knowing the team in the hub were watching the same thing, as the two men headed straight for the anomaly. At the last minute, future Becker stopped and turned, glancing up at the security camera. He stared at it for a moment before following Matt through the anomaly, which closed a few seconds later.

"No incursion," Connor confirmed, having watched the footage over Jess's shoulder. "So that's a good thing, yeah?"

No one answered him.

Jess surprised him by taking out her comm. link and putting her laptop to the side. She lay down on her bed when Connor moved, closing her eyes against the concern on his face.

"You okay, Jess?" Over her head, Connor exchanged a worried glance with Sarah.

"What? Oh, yes. Sorry, I'm just tired." Jess opened her eyes long enough to give them a reassuring smile but closed them again when the smile slid off her face.

_"Connor? What's going on?"_

Realising that the rest of the team hadn't heard her response due to her having taken out her comm. link, Connor answered on her behalf but sounded less than certain. "Jess is tired; she's taken out her comm. She's going to have a nap while I work on the programme."

Silence fell momentarily.

_"Keep us updated,"_ Matt ordered him quietly.

_"I'm sending the Doctor Robson in to check on you all,"_ Lester added.

_"Connor."_ Becker's voice was quiet but still somehow seemed clearer than the others. _"If there's any change in her condition..."_

"I'll let you know," Connor promised quietly.

There was another silence, one that lasted. Connor reached up to deactivate his comm., watching as Sarah did the same thing.

"Go and get on with your programme," Sarah told him quietly, sitting on her bed opposite Jess's own. "I'll keep watch."

Giving her a grateful grin and Jess an anxious look he couldn't control, Connor grabbed his laptop and settled on his own bed, ready to get back to work.

***

The ceiling looked different.

That was Jess's first thought as she drifted slowly back into consciousness.

The second was that there was something over her mouth, something that hadn't been there when she'd gone to sleep. It took a few moments for her addled mind to work out that it was an oxygen mask and she frowned when she realised she couldn't lift her hand to move it.

Panic struck her. Was she paralysed? Had something happened while she'd been asleep?

"Hey." The voice was muffled but familiar. Jess looked up and saw Becker at her bedside, clad in a hazmat suit. He moved his hand to help with the oxygen mask on seeing her panic stricken expression and she immediately realised that the reason she hadn't been able to move her own hand was because of the weight of his on top of it. "You're okay. You've gotta keep fighting, Jess."

"What... What happened?" Her throat felt parched and she was grateful when he reached for a cup of water and helped her find the straw.

"They couldn't wake you up," Becker told her after she'd finished drinking. "Lester sent Doctor Robson and his team to check on you all and when they got there, you were non-responsive."

Jess nodded but even that small gesture caused her muscles to ache. "The virus."

"They've got it under control." Becker was nowhere near as convincing as she thought he'd want to sound. "You just have to hold on, okay?"

"Okay." Even as she agreed to it, she felt her eyelids begin to close.

"Jess." There was an edge to his voice she wasn't used to hearing directed at her. " _Jessica_."

She opened her eyes, but it took far more effort than she planned. "I'm just tired, Becker.  I want to go to sleep."

"You can't." His glove covered hand returned to hers, squeezing tightly. "I know you want to but you can't, Jess. If you do... If you do, you might not wake up."

"I will." She turned her head to look at him, wincing only a little. "It's not... It's not time yet. If it was, Connor and Sarah would be showing signs of being ill. I have time. The other me apparently had time to..."

"Get married," Becker finished for her, meeting her gaze instead of looking away. "I know, Jess."

She held his gaze, unable to find any relief in the fact that she couldn't even work up the energy to blush. "I know... I know it's probably not true." She broke eye contact then, looking down at the gloved hand on top of hers. Both, she knew, were ringless. "It was sweet of him, in a way. To try and give me a reason to keep fighting."

Becker blinked, his surprise clear. "You think that's what he was doing?"

"Don't you?" Still looking at their hands, Jess felt her eyes begin to close again. "It's not real, Becker. You don't... You don't feel that way. Not about me. I know it, you know it."

"You're wrong." His hand tightened over hers. "He wasn't making it up."

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if we got married." Her attempt at humour fell flat, her voice too quiet to sound anything other than serious, disappointment seeping into it despite her best efforts.

His hand tightened momentarily over hers. "Not that. The reason for it. He wasn't lying about that."

" _Don't_."

"Don't what?"

"Don't lie to me. You've never lied to me before. Don't start now."

"I'm not lying to you, Jess. I –"

"Don't. _Please_." Tears stung her eyes but she stared at him resolutely. "You don't have to say this to make me feel better or to give me a reason to keep fighting. I can do that myself."

"I am not lying, Jessica, or trying to make you feel better." Frustration showed in his face through the plastic visor of the hazmat suit. He moved his hand from hers to touch her cheek, swearing when the glove got in the way. Even as she protested, Becker lifted his hands, removing the hood of the suit and then tore the gloves from his hands.

"Becker, stop. You can't..." Her eyes widened, fear and surprise in their depths. "You can't do this. The risks..."

"Screw the risks." He reached out with bare hands, clasping one of hers with both of his. "You need to believe me. I need you to listen and believe me. I can't... I don't want to become him and I will, if I lose you. I can't lose you, Jess. I'm not the best when it comes to putting things into words but you have to know how I feel about you. It's apparently obvious to everyone else."

"Becker." She lifted that hand that wasn't held by his to his face, her fingers trembling as she touched his jaw. "Just tell me. Say it and I'll believe you."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, lifting a hand to cover hers. He pressed his lips against her palm, forcing himself to hold her gaze as he spoke. "I love you, Jessica."

A slow smile broke out across her face, a single tear escaping her eye and sliding down her cheek. Her lips parted as if to say something but her eyelids fluttered closed as a grimace flittered across her features. The hand Becker held in his went limp at the same time as the heart monitor began to emit a high pitched beep.

"Jess? _Jess_!" Fear gripped him as more alarms began to go off and the doors to the room slid open to admit a team of medics in hazmat suits. "Jessica, can you hear me?"

"Captain, you need to move away." Doctor Robson gave him a vaguely disapproving glance when he noticed the state of the soldier's hazmat suit. "You'll need to be tested again."

"I'm not leaving her." He held onto her hand, even as he stood to make way for the team of professionals swarming around the bed. "I'm not leaving her."

"You can stay in the room but we need space to work here." The Doctor's glare softened a little at whatever he saw on Becker's face. "Please, Captain. For Miss Parker's sake."

With visible reluctance, Becker backed off. He moved no further than a few feet away, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the team get to work, the shrill alarms ringing in his ears.

It was only when they managed to stabilise her that he realised that the anomaly alert alarm was going off, too.

***

Being escorted to the present by two men who claimed to be from the future wasn't how Danny had planned to make his grand return but, since it got him back sooner than he'd thought, he wasn't going to complain.

Especially not after what they'd told him.

Guilt gnawed in his gut, a sense of urgency causing adrenaline to course through his veins. He'd known there was a chance he and Sarah had been infected, known it but thought it was a risk worth taking.

He hoped to god he wasn't proved wrong.

At the time, finding her alive had seemed like a miracle. Hearing her sobs after stumbling through the future anomaly in his quest to find a way back home after Patrick's death... He'd thought he'd been imagining it. He recognised the landscape, the ruined buildings and rusted cars, and had thought it was his was guilty conscious playing tricks on him. If he'd let Sarah come with them in the first place, if he'd taken her with him he could have protected her... could've kept her alive...

He'd been about to walk back through the anomaly when a predator had attacked.

Not him, a car not far from him.

Sarah had screamed despite her best efforts to stay quiet and it was then he'd known that he wasn't imagining it, nor was he dreaming.

Firing at the creature, Danny had used almost all of his ammunition, willing to risk it to ensure the predator was dead. He'd raced to the car, knowing the sound of gunfire would draw the attention of the others and had found Sarah, bleeding heavily, but gloriously alive.

How they'd made it out of that hellish future, he'd never really know and always be thankful for.

They'd stumbled through anomaly after anomaly, clinging to each other, both struggling to believe that it was true and they really were together again. It was only after finding an anomaly junction that they'd managed to find their way into another future, one that seemed to be before the predators had taken over the world.

Before the virus had all but wiped out humanity, leaving them vulnerable to the creatures that came through the anomalies.

The medical staff had treated Sarah without hesitation. Thinking back, it was almost as if they'd known they were coming.

On their last day there, news broke of an outbreak of a virus unlike anything they'd ever seen before – originating in the very hospital he and Sarah had sought treatment.

It wasn't until they'd gone through another two anomalies, to the not-so-distant past and then to the Cretaceous that Danny began to suspect they hadn't escaped entirely unscathed.

It was the little things, the way Sarah moved a little slower than before, the way she was restless at night, shivering with the cold and seeking his body heat even though she felt warm to the touch.

She seemed fine during the day but Danny couldn't let himself believe everything was going to be okay; experience had taught him that happy endings rarely happened by accident.

He made his decision then, and kept it to himself because he knew she'd never let him go alone. Finding the anomaly back to what they'd assumed was the present time had been both a blessing and a curse; a blessing in that they were finally home, a curse in that he knew he had to leave her again.

Just in case.

He had to find a cure, an antidote, just in case.

He'd done it, too, and had found himself in another anomaly junction just as Matt and Becker – from the future, if they were to believed - stumbled through with a pissed off Utahraptor snapping at their heels.

His joy at having company who knew the way back home had faded quickly in the wake of the revelation that his nightmare had come true.

 

Following the markers they'd left, the trio walked through the anomaly back to the present time but felt no triumph or satisfaction. They were hurried back to the ARC, no questions asked by the soldiers sent to collect them, and learnt only when one of them handed Matt a comm. link that the virus had progressed and that all three infected personnel were in great need of the cure Danny clutched in his hands.

Sarah and Connor were stable but fading fast; Jess was critical.

The Becker sitting beside him in the truck clenched his hands into fists and stared moodily out of the window; Danny noticed the wedding ring on his finger and wondered.

Getting back to the ARC had felt less like the jubilant celebration he'd thought it would be. Walking through the doors, he wasn't given a hero's welcome – not that he really wanted one – but was instead met by the other Matt, who was waiting with a grave Emily at his side.

"You have it?" The younger Matt asked without ceremony, his eyes troubled even as the rest of his expression remained neutral.

"I do." Wasting no time in handing the pack of vials over, Danny had to quicken his pace to match Matt's stride as the other man turned away. "How are they?"

"Not good," was all the current team leader would say. "Not good at all."

***

A groan escaped him as his muscles ached even as he did nothing but lie there. Connor tried to open his eyes, groaning again when even his eyelids seemed to protest. He blinked twice once he was able to see, a lopsided grin forming on his lips when the features of the person sitting beside him became clear.

"Abby."

"Connor." Her eyes luminous with tears, Abby leaned closer, bringing their foreheads together. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Nah." He kept his eyes open even as his vision blurred at her closeness, savouring being close to her after being unable to touch her for what felt like an age. "Takes a lot more than a pesky virus to get rid of me."

His fiancée rewarded him with a watery laugh, pulling back so she could wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Don't do this to me again, Con. I mean it."

"I'll try not to." Lifting his hand to capture one of his, Connor laced their fingers together. "How's everyone else doing?"

A shadow passed over Abby's features but she tried to smile for his benefit. "Sarah's showing signs of responding. Danny's with her now."

"And Jess?" Connor frowned when Abby hesitated. "He was too late, wasn't he?"

She shook her head, biting her lip as she tightened her grip on his fingers. "I don't know, Connor." Tears swam in her eyes again. "Her heart stopped. Becker was there. They got her stabilised again but I don't know, Con. It might be too late."

He did close his eyes then, his jaw clenching against the thought of losing someone else. Telling himself that it wasn't going to happen, Connor opened his eyes again to look at her, forcing a reassuring grin on his face. "'Course she'll be okay. She's gotta be at our wedding, yeah? Whose toes would Becker stand on if she wasn't there?"

"That's a good point." Sniffling, Abby wiped her eyes again. "Though if she gets him on the dance floor at all, I'll be amazed."

"I bet you a tenner she does."

"I'll take that bet." Abby gave him a confident grin that didn't last long. "I love you, Connor Temple," she said quietly after a few moments had passed. "And I want to marry you. As soon as possible."

Connor squeezed her hand and nodded as best as he could. "Soon as we can," he agreed without hesitation, sharing her hope that when the day came, they would be able to share it with all of their friends.

***

"This isn't how it's supposed to go." Two days later, future Becker stood watching through the window as his counterpart sat at Jess's beside, holding a constant vigil as the young woman continued to fight for her life. "We did what we were meant to. She's not supposed to die."

"She might not." At his side, the Matt from his time gave him a commiserating look. "Connor and Sarah are okay. Doc Robson says Jess is getting stronger every day. There's still a chance she's going to pull through."

Unconvinced, Becker crossed his arms over his chest. "What if she doesn't? What do we do then?" He glanced at his companion. "You did what you set out to do. You saved the future. Is that it now? We go back and what? Jess won't be there."

"She might be." Reaching out to put a hand on his friend's shoulder, Matt held his gaze evenly. "Your wedding ring hasn't disappeared, has it? If Jess died before you got married, it wouldn't be there, mate."

"Do you really believe that or are you just humouring me?"

"I believe it. Truly." Glancing back through the window at the younger man sitting beside the bed, Matt nodded his head towards him. "She's got everything to live for, and he's not gonna let her die without a fight. You know that."

"It wasn't enough last time." Becker's jaw clenched. "I wasn't enough."

Not knowing what to say, Matt merely tightened his hand over Becker's shoulder in solidarity instead. "Come on, Becker. We've got to go home."

The anomaly opening device they'd brought through with them had been programmed in advance. Connor, their Connor, hadn't been able to finish the programme Jess had started but he had been able to programme the device with a way to create an anomaly back to the date they'd left.

As future Becker watched, Matt activated the controls and an anomaly appeared in the hallway in front of them. The ADD alarms blared, the red lights beginning to flash. In the room they were beside, a younger Becker looked up.

With one final look at his younger self and the woman he was sat beside, the older Becker touched his wedding band. He took a deep breath and stepped through the anomaly into the unknown.

***

It was another twelve hours before Jess began to stir. Becker almost missed it, having been focusing half-heartedly to what was going on in the room around him.

Connor and Sarah, both in wheelchairs, had been listening to Matt and Danny theorise on why the two men from the future had left the way they had, without a word of goodbye. Abby had been trying to engage Becker in conversation, trying to encourage him to take a break and get some fresh air.

When he felt her hand twitch in his, he thought it was his imagination or wishful thinking or both. It was only when Abby gasped, having seen Jess's hand move, and reached for the call button that Becker realised it wasn't.

Leaning over her, ignoring the doctor and medics that rushed into the room and started fighting a losing battle to get everyone else out of it, Becker smoothed her hair back from her face, watching her intently.

"What's going on?" Out of breath and red faced, having obviously run from his office, Lester appeared in the doorway. "Is she...?"

"She's waking up. I think," Doctor Robson added pointedly, glaring at the people that weren't part of his team and were clamouring around the gurney. "Really, Lester, we can't do our jobs and check Miss Parker is alright if we can't get near her."

Lester nodded, though he looked as reluctant to leave as the others. "You heard the man, people. Outside. We'll wait in the corridor," he added, giving Doctor Robson a look that told him it wasn't up for negotiation. "That'll give you space enough."

"I'm not going anywhere," Becker protested, tearing his gaze away from Jess just long enough to cast a warning glare over his shoulder at the medic who'd moved closer to him.

"Of course you're not." Lester all but rolled his eyes. "The rest of us will be outside."

The following ten minutes were the longest he could remember in recent years. Becker held her hand, watching her face as the medics bustled around him, taking readings and making notes and murmuring things that didn't make sense to him.

Eventually, Jess's eyes fluttered open, her lips parting on a gasp as if she'd woken from a bad dream. She looked around blindly, her brow creasing in confusion as it took a while for her vision to clear.

And the first face she saw was his.

"Beck... Becker." Her voice hoarse through lack of use and a dry throat, the corners of her mouth quirked upwards.

"Hey." Relief flooded his features and he was powerless to stop the smile that arranged his lips in response. "You're going to be okay," he told her quietly, making a promise to himself that he'd make sure of it.

"Con... Connor and Sarah?" Giving him a thankful look when he helped her take a sip of water in a gesture that brought back feelings of déjà vu for both of them, Jess's shadowed eyes were concerned.

"They're fine. Better. Danny came back, just in time." He ran his fingers through her hair, ignoring everything and everyone else.

For several minutes, they just gazed at one another, as if committing the sight of each other to memory. Finally, realising they weren't as alone as she thought when a medic began to change the bag attached to her IV, Jess blushed.

"You don't have to stay," she told him quietly. "You must have things to do."

"Like security stuff?" Deciding he'd bring it up before she could, Becker allowed himself a small, sheepish grin. One that faded as a serious expression arranged his features. "I'm not going anywhere, Jess. I'm exactly where I want to be."

***

He half expected the wedding band on his finger to disappear when he stepped through the anomaly. Had prepared himself mentally for its familiar weight to disappear.

What he hadn't prepared himself for was for the physical weight of his wife as she threw herself at him once the anomaly behind him had closed.

Becker's eyes closed as he wound his arms around her, memories of a life he'd once thought they'd never have but could now recall in glorious Technicolor crashing over him.

Jess waking up in the medical bay, the bright smile she'd given him when he'd told her he wasn't going anywhere.

Dancing with her at Connor and Abby's wedding, ignoring the smug looks his friends exchanged in favour of concentrating on what he was doing to avoid standing on her toes too much.

Proposing to her on the balcony of their flat as the sun began to set.

Watching her walk down the aisle on Lester's arm, almost but not quite oblivious to the smirks of the three men standing beside him.

"You are an idiot." Her eyes were bright, her cheeks damp. "I remember it now. I remember all of it."

"Me, too." He stared at her intently, his heart pounding in his chest. "God, Jess. I remember losing you."

"You didn't. You saved me." Leaning up, she drew his head down with a hand at the base of his neck, kissing him softly. "I'm here."

"You are." He kissed her again, sweetly with a hint of desperation. "You're here."

How long they remained lost in their own world, they weren't sure. No matter how long it was, it wasn't long enough for two people who remembered losing each other so painfully.

"Oi! You two!" Danny called out from across the room, smirking when they reluctantly pulled away to look at him. "Get a room."

Rolling her eyes, Sarah nudged him in the ribs, earning a half-hearted 'ow' as she threw Jess an apologetic look. "They were having a moment."

"They have lots of moments," Danny protested, grinning down at his fiancée even as he defended himself. "They're almost as bad as Connor and Abby for their 'moments'."

As Connor began to defend himself and Abby, with Matt joining in to side with Danny, Abby, Sarah and Emily exchanged a knowing glance. Asides from Lester, who was watching as always from his office, they were the only ones to notice the newly returned Captain and his wife made their way out of the room to continue their reunion in private.

***

The End


End file.
